How do your everyday habits stack up after 35? Answer 10 quick questions on training, steps, sleep, protein, alcohol, stress, sitting and friendships to get a Fit After 35 Score out of 100, scored against WHO, NHS and CDC guidelines, plus your three highest-impact next steps.
Your three biggest-impact priorities
Score by habit
How the Fit After 35 Score works
Each of the 10 questions is scored against a public guideline or a large study, and the points add up to 100. Habits with the strongest evidence carry the most weight: strength training (14 points), cardio (14), sleep (12), daily steps (10), protein at meals (10) and alcohol (10). Stress recovery, sitting time and social connection carry 8 points each, and waist-to-height ratio 6. If you skip the optional waist question, your score is rescaled out of the other 94 points so you are not penalised.
| Habit | Full points when | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| Strength training | 2 or more days a week | WHO 2020 activity guidelines |
| Cardio | 150+ minutes a week of moderate activity (vigorous minutes count double) | WHO 2020: 150–300 min moderate or 75–150 min vigorous |
| Daily steps | 8,000+ steps a day | Paluch et al. 2022: benefits levelled off at 8,000–10,000 steps for adults under 60 |
| Sleep | 7–9 hours a night | CDC (7+ hours) and National Sleep Foundation (7–9 hours for ages 26–64) |
| Protein | A clear protein source at every main meal | ISSN position stand: 20–40 g (about 0.25 g/kg) per meal, spread through the day |
| Alcohol | None; up to 14 UK units a week still scores well | NHS low-risk guideline: no more than 14 units a week, spread over 3+ days, with drink-free days |
| Stress and recovery | You feel able to switch off most days | WHO stress guidance (routine, sleep, activity, connection) |
| Waist vs height | Waist less than half your height | NICE NG246 (2025): ratio 0.4–0.49 is the healthy range |
| Sitting time | Under 4 hours a day | WHO: limit sedentary time; Ekelund et al. 2016 on 8+ hours a day |
| Social connection | Real time with friends or family several times a week | US Surgeon General advisory on social connection (2023) |
There is no official number for stress, sitting or friendship, so for those three the bands are our own simple habit scale, built on the direction the guidance points. Your three priorities are the habits where you are losing the most points, so they are the changes most likely to move your score and your energy.
How to use your score
Pick one priority, not three. Run it for 30 days, then retake the check. Small, boring habits done every week beat a perfect plan you drop after a fortnight. A good next step is one of our 30-day challenges, and you can log your weight and waist in the progress tracker.
Go deeper with these guides: strength training after 35, longevity habits that actually matter, how to sleep better after 35 and recovering from chronic stress.
Sources
- Bull et al. (2020), British Journal of Sports Medicine: World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour
- World Health Organization: physical activity fact sheet
- Paluch et al. (2022), Lancet Public Health: daily steps and all-cause mortality, a meta-analysis of 15 international cohorts
- CDC: about sleep and how much sleep adults need
- National Sleep Foundation (2015): recommended sleep durations by age, published in Sleep Health
- Jäger et al. (2017), International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: protein and exercise
- NHS: the risks of drinking too much and low-risk drinking advice
- World Health Organization: stress, questions and answers
- NICE guideline NG246 (2025): overweight and obesity management, including waist-to-height ratio
- Ekelund et al. (2016), The Lancet: physical activity and the association of sitting time with mortality
- US Surgeon General (2023): Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation, advisory on social connection
The Fit After 35 Score is general education about everyday habits, not medical advice, a diagnosis or a health risk score. Talk to your doctor before changing your exercise, diet or alcohol habits if you have a medical condition, take medication or have an injury.
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